Northwell Board adopts new grades 6–12 ELA curriculum, approves $176,623 purchase

The Northwell Board of Education voted to adopt new English language arts materials for grades 6–12 and authorized a purchase the district staff described as totaling $176,623.

Deborah, the district curriculum presenter, told the board the district selected Amplify ELA for grades 6–8 and Savas My Perspectives for high school after an early‑summer review and field visits by staff. "Amplify with even with the professional development that we chose to do, it came in about $80,359," she said, adding the high‑school purchase came in "right around $96,000," for a combined total she gave as "$176,623." She said the middle‑grade materials include student consumable books and digital subscriptions, and the high‑school texts are consumable as well.

Deborah described the district's plan for training and implementation: one full day of professional development in June, a half‑day in August for additional onboarding, and a half‑day follow‑up in October after roughly nine weeks of classroom use. She told the board the vendors allow flexible subscription allocation between grade levels, which the district will use to manage declining enrollment in some grades and avoid excess unused books.

Board members asked about student access when home internet is limited. Deborah said texts are downloadable and can be completed offline and will upload when devices reconnect to Wi‑Fi. She also told the board the purchase was budgeted for the current year and that staff planned to roll over any excess to cover parts of the elementary adoption as needed.

The Chair called for a motion to approve the adoption and purchase; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. Following approval, Deborah said staff would place the order as soon as possible and expects vendor deliveries and teacher materials in June or July so classrooms are ready for students by Aug. 17.

Why it matters: The adoption changes the district's middle‑ and high‑school core ELA materials and includes digital resources and a multi‑day professional‑development plan intended to support teachers during the first months of classroom use.